Dad dies after attempting to throw back 21 cocktails at hotel bar

The inquest for a British tourist who died while attempting to drink all the cocktails on the bar menu has just been handed down.

Timothy Southern, who was on a family holiday in Jamaica last May, was taking part in a challenge to drink all 21 cocktails available at the bar.

The 53-year-old had had 12 drinks before heading back to his room at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean in Saint Anns, where he later died.

Iuliia Lodia / Alamy Stock Photo

Pathologists in Jamaica labelled the cause of Southern’s death as 'acute gastroenteritis due to alcohol consumption.'

The inquest, conducted by the coroner from Southern’s hometown of Staffordshire, was designed to determine the exact cause of Southern’s death.

Coroner Emma Serrano ruled that Southern death was alcohol-related.

His family were critical of the hotel’s actions around Southern’s death, telling the inquest: “The service and treatment he received was disgusting.”

"When the nurse arrived I said had an ambulance been called and she said 'no'. I thought she would take over. But that was not the case,” one family member told the inquest.

"I said, 'Don't just sit there looking at him, start CPR'. She only gave him chest compressions. Maybe if she had known what she was doing, maybe he would still be here.”

The inquest also found that Southern had been drinking brandy and beer before being asked by two Canadians to attempt the 21-drink challenge.

The inquest could take up to three years to receive Southern’s toxicology report from Jamaica.

Southern’s family have also set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to pay for his funeral.

GoFundMe

“We know Dad was loved by so many with friends all over the world, the biggest character most would ever come across,” reads the family’s GoFundMe page.

“We're hoping by doing this we could try to raise as much money as we can to get him home so that we, as a family, get to say our goodbyes”.